DAD

Happy Father's Day! Sunday, June 16th is Dad's special day. This page is dedicated to Dad! There are ideas for gifts to make, activities to plan.

Family Key Keeper
Help Dad (and everyone else) keep track of his keys by making him this great personalized key keeper! You'll need a 2 1/2 by 12" pine board, some wooden paint stirrers (or flat wooden spoons), 2 picture hangers, markers, glue, yarn and some screw-in hooks.
Attach the picture hangers to the back of your board so that Dad can hang his key keeper. Now, decorate the stirrers (or spoons), so that each one resembles a member of your family. You can use the yarn for hair, and decorate with things like googly eyes, buttons, pieces of felt, and whatever else you can think of! Glue the handle of each spoon to the back of the board, so that each "family member" is spaced evenly apart.
When the glue is dry, screw a hook into the board below each family member. Now, your key keeper is ready for use!


Special Key Chain
This makes a great gift, and is both fun and easy! You'll need a clean meat tray, permanent markers (Sharpies work great!), and a key ring. Cut the curved sides off the tray. Now use the markers to make a special design, or message for Dad. Make a hole in the tray close to the edge.
Place the tray on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil and place in oven at low temperature for 2- 5 minutes. Keep an eye on it! As the meat tray heats up, it will shrink and get hard.
Allow to cool and add your key ring! A perfect gift for Dad!

Scented Soaps for Dad
Pour Ivory Snow into a mixing bowl and add water until the mixture is a stiff bread-dough consistency. Knead in some food coloring and add a few drops of men's cologne. Pinch off a small piece of the mixture and shape into a ball. Repeat the process until all the soap mixture has been used. Allow the balls to dry for about four days. To give as a gift, place the balls into a clear plastic cup. Wrap with colored tissue paper and tie with a contrasting color ribbon. Add an original gift tag to complete the package!
Dad's Cookie Jar
Or, make it a muffin, or candy jar! Just take an empty jar or coffee can- (make sure there are no sharp edges!). Wrap your container with construction paper and decorate with markers, fabric, paper cutouts, sequins, etc.
Now, make a batch of Dad's favorite cookies or other goodies. Line your container with colored tissue paper and fill!

Windchimes for Dad
Make a wonderful windchime mobile for Dad out of some of his favorite things- screws, nuts, and bolts! You can use a hanger or a piece of wood for your base, and then hang a variety of screws, washers, nuts, bolts, etc with string or fishing wire!
Hang the strings close together so that a slight breeze will make music!

Necktie Cake
Give Dad a necktie that he'll really enjoy this Father's Day! One he can sink his teeth into! Mix up a cake mix following the package directions. Now pour batter into 1 cupcake holder, and the remainder into a rectangular pan. Bake according to directions, and allow to cool.
Remove the cake from the pan, and cut in half lengthwise. Lay the pieces end to end on cardboard, or a cookie sheet. Place the cupcake at one end of the cake. Cut the other end of the cake into a V-shape. Now frost the cake and decorate with M & Ms or other goodies to look like a tie!

Personalized Baseball Cap

Dad's love hats, and yours is sure to especially love this one! Start with a plain white or tan baseball hat. Use fabric paints or permanent felt tip markers (be careful!) to write or draw on the hat. You can also pin things on the hat that are special to your Dad- maybe a golf tee, a baseball ticket stub, fishing lures, or a picture of you!
Footprint Craft & Poem
This is a very popular and special craft to make for Dad. Just trace your child's footprints on construction paper and cut out. Then either write on the footprint, or on paper the following poem:
"Walk a little slower Daddy" said a child so small,

"I'm following in your footsteps and I don't want to fall.
Sometimes your steps are very fast,
Sometimes they're hard to see;
So walk a little slower, Daddy,
For you are leading me.
Someday when I'm all grown up,
You're what I want to be;
Then I will have a little child
Who'll want to follow me.
And I would want to lead just right,
And know that I was true,
So walk a little slower, Daddy,
For I must follow you."
author unknown)

Terrific T-shirts
Won't Dad be proud to sport this "hand-some" t-shirt? Take a plain white t-shirt in Dad's size, and put a piece of cardboard or folded newspaper inside of it to make it a smooth surface. Now tape or pin a sheet of construction paper over the center front of the shirt.
Pour several colors of fabric paints into various pie pans, or similar containers. Now press your child's hand into one of the colors and make handprints randomly on the front of the shirt. Repeat this process with other colors of paint.
When the paints have dried, remove the construction paper from the shirt, and use a squeeze bottle of fabric paint to write "The Best Dad- Hands Down!" in the open space. Allow the paint to dry for a day or two.


Miniature Backyard Golf!
Here's a fun game the whole family can enjoy on Father's Day! Part of the fun is being creative, and setting up your special "course"! You can play inside or outside!
You can make the "holes" by collecting cans or pails and setting them on their side. You can add a little Ziplock bag of sand or dirt to make them stay put. Make obstacles using furniture, toys, or cardboard boxes with holes cut in them.
No golf equipment? Use baseball bats, broomsticks or cardboard tubes for clubs and ping-pong balls or even plums or apricots in lieu of golf balls!

Father's Day Book
Help your little one make a meaningful Father's Day gift that Dad will treasure! Decorate the front of your book to look like a dress shirt! You'll need a 12" x 18" piece of construction paper and some white copy paper cut down to 7" x 9".
Fold the construction paper in half to make a 12" x 9" card, with the fold on the top. Now cut a 4" slit on both sides of the card about an inch down and parallel to the fold. Take the resulting flaps and fold them down diagonally to make the "collar" for the shirt. Glue the ends to the card securely.
Now, use crayons, markers or fabric pieces to make the rest of your shirt design. You can use construction paper or fabric to make a tie or a pocket. (include a tissue in the pocket!) Draw stripes or polka dots.
Next, staple a few 7" x 9" sheets of paper between the covers of your book. On the front page write "I love my Dad because..." and draw a picture of you & Dad. On each of the following pages, illustrate special things about Dad and draw or cut out magazine pictures that depict activities that you enjoy doing with Dad.


A Handful of Love for Dad
This is an easy handmade card project! You need red construction paper and white copy paper. First, trace your child's hand twice on the red paper. Cut out the hand shapes and set aside.
Cut out a red heart out of the construction paper, and a smaller heart out of the white copy paper. On the white heart, draw a self-portrait and write "ME" along with your Happy Father's Day message. Glue the white heart to the middle of the red heart.
Now staple the hand cutouts to the top of the heart so that the fingers intertwine and cover the picture. On the top hand write "Look inside so you can see." Then on the second hand cutout write "Who loves you best. Of course it is...". When Dad opens it up, he'll see "ME!"